Harajuku Walking Guide

Your journey in Harajuku begins, naturally at the JR Harajuku station on the Yamanote line. You'll notice that this station is not nearly the sprawling center as some of the other Yamanote line stops, like Shinjuku. On one side of the tracks you'll see the greenery of Yoyogi Park. As you depart the station and head toward Takeshita Street, the familiar crowds of one of the larger stations will emerge. Head toward the Takeshita Street (in Japanese, street is "dori") exit and most likely you can follow the crowd of teenagers and tourists to get there.

The Harajuku Bridge, between Yoyogi Park and Harajuku Station, is usually the best spot to people watch as this is where those involved in the unique Harajuku fashion scene come to show off. Sundays are the most popular day and the most crowded.

Here's a quick Harajuku Fashion 101 lesson.

Gothic Lolita: Victoria-era-inspired French maids. Think petticoats, knee-high socks and headresses.

Visual Kei: This literally means "visual style" and is a look popular among Japanese musicians. Big hair, androgynous style and a sort of odd homage to glam rock and Ziggy Stardust, but not quite.

Cosplay: This is short of "costume play," and the idea is to dress up like a favorite character out of Japanese history, anime, manga, video games, etc.

These trends all fluctuate and evolve, and you may see a mix of more than one style brought together. These trends might not be as predominant as they once were, and you might end up seeing more photographers than actual Harajuku Girls (the term for the girls who hang out here), but it's still very much a part of the scene here.

After taking in the fashion at the Harajuku Bridge, take a walk around the park itself to get a nice breath of green, fresh air before you head to the crowded streets of Takeshita Street.

For the history buffs, Yoyogi Park was the site of the first aircraft flight in Japan in 1910, and the site of the Washington Heights residence for U.S. officers during the post-World War II occupation. It is also the site of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Summer Olympics, which housed swimming and diving events.

This is the main shopping drag of Harajuku's fashion world. A narrow, pedestrian-only street, practically every nook and cranny is filled with things. You can expect this area to be pretty tourist heavy, and the added bonus of that is that some of the store clerks will speak some rudimentary English.

The first time I brought my fashion-forward brother here, he was in heaven. Male fashion stores and shoe stores abound, and fortunately for my brother, he fits into Japanese sizes. If you wear a larger size, shopping for clothes will be a challenge, especially in the more trendy shops. But don't be discouraged--it's always a good idea to ask. "Watashi no saizu ga arimasu ka?" means, "Do you have my size?" Let the fun commence from that.

One of my favorite stops along this street is the 100 yen shop, not far from the main entrance of the station on the left side of the road if you're heading away from the station. These shops were my lifeblood in Japan and are not to be compared to dollar stores in the states, where you get what you pay for. The 100 yen shops do carry standard one-use-before-it-breaks items, but they also carry a lot of great souvenir gifts and funky items for friends and family back home. If you've got room in your luggage, the housewares section usually has nice ceramics, Japanese-style plates and sake pitchers.

Note: You may see it referred to as Takeshita-dori. "Dori" simply means street in Japanese.

There are several spots along this street to grab a bite, but later on this tour Lotteria is a good fast-food chain pit stop. It's marked as a "minor" point along the guide route in the Omotesando area.

The final stop after Takeshita Street opens into Omotesando, a wide-laned street with some of the most high-end boutique names around--like Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc. Especially after a crowded walk through Takeshita Street, Omotesando can feel like a breath of fresh air, reminding you of the less-crowded streets back home (depending on where you're from, of course).

Take a stroll through and you might seem some familiar store names, like M.A.C. cosmetics or even American Apparel, as most of the shops here are foreign. The shoppers in this area are well heeled and tend to be older than in the Takeshita Street area, but because of the proximity, some of that funky style does spill into some of the vintage stores you can find along the way.

If you're hungry look for Lotterita, a fast-food chain similar to McDonalds. It's marked as a minor point on the map.

The best thing about Omotesando, at least for those of us who have kids or who consider ourselves kids at heart, is the gigantic five-floor toy store Kiddyland. Whomever came to visit me in Japan, I would be sure to take them here. Hello Kitty, Nintendo characters, Studio Ghibli characters, unique Japanese toys: This is your paradise for that and much more.

Note: Currently Kiddyland is temporarily located in a building slightly off the main street of Omotesando and will be there until a remodel of the store is completed in 2012.
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http://www.kiddyland.co.jp/en/

Despite the high-end shopping to be had here, one of my memories of Omotesando on my first trip to Japan in 2005 involved french fries and a packet of ketchup. I went to to Lotteria, a McDonalds-like fast food chain, right at the major intersection of Omotesando and Meiji street. I wanted to have ketchup with my fries, but didn't know how to ask. Through a series of hand and mouth gestures with the nervous clerk behind the register, I was able to walk away with my very own packet of ketchup.